Robbinsville council concerned about value of preserved open space

ROBBINSVILLE — An undeveloped 6-acre parcel will be preserved as open space, but township council members are concerned the property may be less valuable than expected.

In what amounts to the township paying itself, the council last night adopted an ordinance that transfers $750,000 from its open space fund to the general fund to purchase the parcel in a neighborhood known as Foxmoor, designating it as open space.

The parcel once hosted a police substation — since demolished — and was previously earmarked as a location for a 48,000-square-foot office building that would contain new municipal headquarters.

The plan was scrapped in March after hundreds of residents expressed outrage over traffic and property value concerns.

“In any open and transparent process, you have to poll your constituents,” Witt said. “In this particular instance, there was an overwhelming majority of residents polarized against it.”

“That’s good government. It doesn’t make sense and the residents came in and explained why it didn’t make sense,” he said.

The ordinance was passed with a clause saying it could be rescinded it if the value is determined to be lower than the $960,000 figure placed on it by Martin Appraisal Service in October 2012.

After speaking with Martin, Councilman Dave Boyne said the appraisal didn’t take into account restrictions requiring a “quasi-public entity,” such as township government, to take over a certain percentage of floor space.

Instead it was completed with the assumption that a paying tenant could take over the proposed three-story building, artificially inflating the appraised value, Boyne said.

“I read through the entire appraisal, and it’s never mentioned that the property is deed-restricted, which would have an impact on its value,” he said. “The value concerns me because we’re taking a lot of money out of open space.”

The ordinance will add $750,000 to the township’s general coffers, which chief financial officer Deborah Bauer said will likely be used over several years to pay for the outfitting of the township’s future headquarters.

The council in July approved a $2.85 million bond ordinance for the purchase of nearly 9,000 square feet of office space at a proposed retail and office building in Town Center, adjacent to the Roma Bank headquarters.

The township has been renting space, most recently for $159,721 in 2012, in Sharbell Development’s headquarters on Washington Boulevard since its old building was demolished after taking on significant mold damage in a 2006 storm.

Roma announced a merger last week with Investors Bank, of Short Hills, though Witt said there wasn’t any concern over the township’s plans for the new space under construction in Town Center.

“I’m not aware of any concern. Nobody’s approached us,” Witt said.

The future of the Foxmoor open-space site will be drafted by a 10-person steering committee made up of residents and parks and recreation director Joe Barker, Witt said.